1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a valve for controlling the flow of fluid therethrough, particularly to a fluid flow control valve.
2. Background Art
Fluid flow control valves are conventionally utilized in the prior art for regulating the flow of fluids, such as water, air, or the like, in a tub, spa, passenger compartment or other environments where control of fluid flow is desired.
A passenger service unit is a unit in a passenger compartment for providing services such as pressurized air through a fluid flow control valve, lighting, a call button and/or the like. Passenger service units are commonly provided in passenger compartments of vehicles such as aircraft, buses, trains, and wherever pressurized air or climate control is provided at a remote location. Passenger service units that provide climate control and/or pressurized air are utilized for providing comfort to the passenger and typically provide user selective operation thereof for obtaining a desired comfort level. Passenger service units that include pressurized air typically utilize ducting for providing pressurized air to the desired location. The ducting may include an inlet that terminates at a manifold, which receives at least one or plurality of fluid flow control valves. The ducting of manifolds for such prior art valves are well known in the art and are disclosed in assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,876 issued on Jul. 7, 1992 to Howe et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,152 issued to Castle on Jul. 12, 1994; both of these patents are incorporated in their entirety by reference herein.
The prior art fluid flow control valves are commonly tappet or poppet valves disposed in a spherical housing that is pivotally connected to the manifold of the fluid duct. The prior art valves typically include a control member accessible by the passenger for varying the amount of fluid flow permitted to pass through the fluid flow control valve. These valves are also typically pivotally connected to the manifold to permit the user to select a desired direction of the fluid flow. Accordingly, the valves of the prior art may be relatively complex in order to provide user selected direction and control of the amount of fluid flow, thus requiring many and/or complex components, which may be costly in light of the manufacturing processes and the materials required to provide these prior art fluid flow control valves.
Fluid flow control valves of the prior art are typically subjected to use and wear over time and may require replacement during the life of the passenger service unit.
Accordingly, it is a goal of the present invention to provide a simplified and low cost fluid flow control valve for regulating the flow of fluid in a passenger compartment.